


Only Human

by McKay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 15:19:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10993599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKay/pseuds/McKay
Summary: Over the years, Remus has only one thing he wishes Severus would understand.





	Only Human

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2005.

**1977**

"Severus, please, I'm only human." 

Remus stretched out one hand imploringly, but Severus skittered backward until he hit the wall; Severus' face was contorted with hatred, and his wide, dark eyes brimmed with fear, but the hand aiming his wand at Remus never wavered. 

"You're not human!" Severus spat, his voice shaking with fury. "You're a monster - a beast! I saw you last night! You and Black tried to kill me, and now I owe Potter a fucking _life debt_ because of you!"

"I didn't try to kill you!" Remus shook his head vehemently, but he let his hand fall by his side, not wanting to make any moves that might seem threatening, not when Severus was eager for any excuse to curse him. "I didn't know what Sirius was going to do, I swear." 

"I don't believe you." Severus' mouth twisted in a bitter snarl. "You're nothing but an animal. A weak, lying, murdering animal!" 

Whirling, he fled for the door, and Remus didn't try to stop him.

* * *

**1994**

"Severus, please, I'm only human." 

Remus gazed at Severus in the mirror, giving him a look of weary resignation before turning his attention back to dabbing comfrey salve on the fresh scratches on his face, chest, and arms. The fact that it was just past dawn, and he was only half-dressed hadn't stopped Severus from barging in; Severus hadn't even seemed to notice. But then he wouldn't; Remus was only a beast, after all. 

"You're a menace," Severus snarled, dark eyes burning into Remus', the impact of that wrathful glare not diminished even though Remus was looking at the reflection of it. "You kept vital information a secret to protect yourself and Black, and now he's escaped again!" 

"Sirius isn't a murderer," Remus protested, turning to face Severus at last. "It was Peter, and none of us knew he was still alive."

"Did you know it wasn't Black all year?" Severus' expression turned triumphant when Remus didn't reply. "You endangered the lives of everyone in this castle, especially Potter, all to protect your own miserable hide. You don't belong here, Lupin. You failed as a Prefect, you've failed as a teacher, and I'm going to make damned sure you don't fail here again." 

Severus pivoted sharply on his heel and stalked out of the room, black robes billowing in his wake. Exhausted in both body and spirit, Remus didn't have the energy to do anything more than wonder how long Severus had practiced before he got the billow effect just right.

* * *

**1996**

"Severus, please, I'm only human." 

Remus slumped in a chair and averted his face, not wanting to deal with Severus' sniping and accusations. He wasn't up to it, and he wanted to be left alone to mourn in peace. 

"You're still a member of the Order, damn it!" Severus glared down at him, fists braced on his narrow hips. "You have an obligation to perform your duties, and it's what-" 

"Please." Remus held up one hand to silence him. "If you're about to say 'it's what Sirius would have wanted you to do', I'll have to revoke your Slytherin license." 

"That isn't what I was going to say, Lupin," Severus huffed, peering haughtily down his nose. "I was going to say it's what all of us have to do, whether we like it or not. The war is still waging, and things do not look good for us, especially if we lose our headquarters thanks to that damned mutt not leaving a will. You can have your little breakdown over your lost love later, when the war is over. Right now, however, none of us have the luxury of wallowing in self-pity." 

"I'm not mourning my lost love." Remus sat up straight and fixed Severus with a stern look of his own. "I'm mourning the loss of my friend, of my past, of the last shreds of my childhood... oh, hell, I don't even know what I'm mourning, but it isn't love." 

Severus gave a disdainful sniff and began picking microscopic bits of lint from his sleeve, pointedly not looking at Remus. "I assure you, Lupin, I don't care one way or another. I'm simply here to make you cease this selfish, self-indulgent wallowing." 

With that, he strode out of the room, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts. There was no billowing this time, and for the first time in nearly twenty years, Remus felt as if they hadn't parted in anger.

* * *

**1999**

"Severus, please, I'm only human!" 

Remus laughed softly and reached up to finger-comb tendrils of sweat-damp hair back from Severus' face, which for once was not gazing down on him in anger, fear, or scorn. Rather, Severus' sharp features were relaxed in the aftermath of satiation.

"So much for werewolf stamina." A smirk curved Severus' thin lips, lips which Remus now knew could be quite soft and pliant and were capable of doing wicked things that made him howl with pleasure. "And here I thought when you said you wanted to make love all night, you really meant it." 

"The spirit is willing, I assure you," Remus said, unwrapping one leg from around Severus' hips and sliding his foot down to caress Severus' calf. "But the flesh needs time to recover." 

"Then I suppose I'll have to find a way to amuse myself until you're fully recovered." There was a gleam in Severus' eyes that sent a ripple of anticipation down Remus' spine, and the ripple turned into a shudder as Severus dragged his tongue along the length of Remus' throat, ending with a little lick of his chin, lapping at the tang of salt and sweat on Remus' skin. 

And then Severus began to lick and bite and suck his way _down_ , and Remus tangled his fingers in Severus' hair, moaning his approval of how Severus had decided to pass the time. 

It had taken twenty-two years, but finally Severus had come to see that they were both only human after all.


End file.
